Improvement in repeating fire-arms



NITED STATES PATENT Orrrca.

CHARLES DRAEGER, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOB TO HIMSELF AND JOHNOTT, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN REPEATING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,922, dated April 8,1862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES DRAEGER, of the city of Indianapolis, in thecounty of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Breech'Loading Guns; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, like letters referring to like parts.

The nature of my invention consists in the arrangement of a revolvingmagazine at the breech end of the barrel of the gun and the encasementof a helical spring within said magazine, which, when wound up, and allthe cartridge-chambers being supplied with powder and ball, the simplecocking ot'the hammer and pulling out the cartridge-plunger causes themagazine to revolve successively from one chamber to another or revolvesa chamber opposite the bore of the barrel, so that the pushing theplunger forward sends the cartridge home to its proper place in thebarrel t'or ignition. This operation can be rapidly repeated until allthe charges are disposed of. It is thus seen that a light andexceedingly effective firearm is produced, capable of being fired asrapidly as the ordinary revolvers, while the entire absence of allwindage makes it a weapon of tremendous force and great accuracy.

To enable others skilled in the art to manufacture and use my invention,I Will now proceed to describe its construction and mode of operation.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a gun of the armypattern. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a smallpart of Fig. 1, including the revolving magazine with the cartridge-dooropen. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section ot'the revolvingcartridgechamber. Fig. 5 is a representation of the cartridge-plunderand the detonatin g-n eedle which slides within its center, and also theslotted plate that lies over this plunger and holds it to its properplace. Fig. 6 is an end view of Fig. 4; and Fig. 7 is a cross-section ofsame, showing the helical spring coiled around its axis and by whichthis magazine is revolved. It will be observed that Figs. 6 and 7represent the magazine in natural size and contain ing chambers forseven charges. This latter feature may be increased to almost any extentby simply increasing the circumference of the cylinder or magazine. Fig.8 shows the circular groove on the front end of magazine, into which ascrew is forced for holding the same steady, and the right figure showsthe ratchets or stops, into which a spring-dog drops, and so governs theexact intermittent rotatory movement of the magazine as it passes fromone chamber to another.

A is the stock of the gun.

B is the revolvingmagazine, made of metal, made light and usually withseven cartridgeehambers close to its periphery.

C is the gun-barrel, of any approved size and thickness, but with aslight enlargement of the bore in the rear or breech end-say for thelength of a ball and cartridge only. This is to admitofthe easyinsertion ofcartridge and ball.

19 is the cartridge plunger or loader, made of iron or steel, the samediameter of the cartridge, and with a small hollow through the centerlengthwise sufficient to admit of the free play of the detonating-needleas it slides forward and back. The slight taper at the forward end ofthis plunger fits snugly into a corresponding taper in the cavity in therear end of the barrel. This is to prevent windage or escape of gas whenthe powder burns. This plunger has a crooked handle,f, for operating it,crooked to the right, so as to be out of the line of sight when takingaim. Besides serving the purpose of a handle, it answers also as a braceor wedge when it is turned into the inclined lateral slot in the toppiecefl, where it firmly resists the reaction of the ignited powderwithin the barrel.

The detonating-needlc a may be seen in place by the dotted lines in Fig.2 passing clear through the cartridge-plunger far enough to reachthefulminating material in the cartridge. A spiral spring surrounds itfor the purpose of springing it back when the hammer is cooked, andthereby bringing its point within the planger, so that the magazine canfreely revolve. When a charge is pushed home this needle stands clear ofall contact with it, and is only driven into its base by the hammer e. Ashort bevel on the under side, at the back end of the plunger p, allowsa small projection on the cock-tumbler, infront of the cock, to catchupon the head of the needle n, and this serves to liberate it by givingit a start, so that the spring which is around it may throw it out, asspoken of already.

. The cart-ridge door his shut or down in' Fig. 1 and thrown open inFig. 3. It is opened to put; the cartridges into the chambers d d d, therecess 1" being made for their free admission. When they are all in thisdoor is closed and holds them there. Another hinged door may be seen atthe front end of the revolving magazinc in immediate line with h. Thisis only used when a cartridge fails fire and it is nec- 'essary toremove, which is done by simply pushing it out backward, or to empty thegun when not in use.

1. are ratchets on the back end of revolving magazine B, into whichthedog-lever dcatches, and is again liberated when the hammer e is downby means of a projection on the front side of the lock-tumbler. Thethumb spring W is secured to the under side of the front end of thisdog-lever, so that the magazine may be freed at any time by a simplepressure upon it inside the trigger-guard.

' The little cross-sections in Fig. 5 areto showv the half-grooves inthe upper sides-of plunger P, into which the points of two screws enteras guides for steadying the plunger and prevent rocking; also, theextreme right-hand one of these sections shows the bevel on the end ofplunger where the point on the locktumbler trips the needle a forpurposes heretofore mentioned. The temper-screw 1 passes its point intoa groove on the under side of needle 0% and limits its play back andforth. The spiral spring .9 throws the needle clear of thecartridge andholds itthere until it is driven into the cartridge by the hammer e.

The parts of this gun are few, and those parts are all simple inconstruction and in no way more liable to break or get out of repairthan are those of the ordinary and generallyused guns. Its combinedoperation is very simple and easily understood, and a very slightexperience will enable the operator to fire it about thirty times in aminute. Its rangeis as great asis possible to reach with a givenquantity of ammunition, having none of the defects of otherbreech-loaders, and being superior in some particulars to evenmuzzle-loaders, inasmuch as the ball is more effectually forced into thegrooves of the rifle.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The arrangementofacartridge-magazine, l3, revolving on alongitudinal-axis, as shown.

2. A plunger, P, and needle to, constructed as set forth, and combinedin their operation with a revolving magazine, as stated substantially.

3. The helical spring S, when used, as shown, for the purpose ofrotatingthe cartridge-magazine B.

CHARLES DRAEGER.

Witnesses:

IGNATIUS BROWN, J AMES N. SWEETSER.

